The board of directors for the National Association of Realtors may add gender identity to the Realtor code of ethics at its meeting Monday.
The code currently prohibits Realtors from discriminating against anyone on the basis of of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Should the board approve the addition, it will be two steps ahead of the federal Fair Housing Act, which currently does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Broker Brian Copeland, citing the Human Rights Campaign, notes that gender identity “refers to a person’s innate, deeply felt, psychological identification as a man, woman or some other gender,” and is often associated with the term “transgendered.”
“As Realtors celebrate 100 years of the code of ethics, the board of directors has the opportunity to craft one of the most inclusive documents in housing today,” he said.
Source: NARConferenceLive.com
